a final word on this snippet, after hearing the opinions of people who think the sentiment is bunk: it seems to me that there is a philosophical gap between believers and non-believers that just can't be bridged by argument -- it comes down perhaps to whether you think we're of the earth or of the angels (to put it poetically). and if you can't see your way to my side, then you'll just have to believe that my endeavors are purely onanistic, in which case i hope you're very jealous, because i get to pursue them, and you don't.